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Conservation in Mexico - Monthly Update August - September 2011

High season for the Olive Ridley turtles.

Finally the high season for turtle nest collection is here, and at the Projects Abroad Turtle camp we feel really glad that we have a chance once more to be part of the effort to preserve large numbers of the Olive Ridley species. Already we have been able to collect over 900 nests, and we anticipate that before the end of September we will reach 1500 nests. It’s a really good start as we havealreadyexceeded our own expectations.

The addition of a new quadbike supplied by the Government has helped a lot with the work load and this has been reflected in the results. The amount of eggs we collect results from our operational capabilities. A new quad bike and more volunteers are all factors that have improved the overall results at the camp.

On Thursday the 18thSeptember we had our first south wind effect.When strong winds are blowing up from the south, it usually means that a large number of turtles are expected to come on to the beach to lay their eggs during the night. The strong winds and rain make the conditions difficult for predators, which is perhaps why the turtles like to lay the eggs during this time. This phenomenon came at the right time as we had 14 volunteers who proved their help to be really valuable. The patrols commenced around 2:30pm. And as every shift was returning there were eggs that needed to be buried. The volunteers worked tirelessly and the outcome by the next morning was 132 nests buried in the corral!

However, it was not all fun and games! A meteorological phenomenontook place in both the Pacific and Atlantic oceans, where two different tropical depressions met along with a low pressure channel. This caused a massive tidal surge that for over 4 days made the sea level considerably higher than normal. The waves were battering the coastline, and the presence of the volunteers in camp was crucial to help build barricades in order to protect the incubation areas and the buildings.

Baby crocs!

The much anticipated birth of the new baby crocodiles finally took place, however sadly due to a combination ofexcessive rains and very high humidity levels this summer, a large number of the offspring did not survive. Nevertheless there was a few that made it out alive. They were collected and are now in the pools where in the coming months they will be branded and measured so that their growth can be monitored.